April 27, 2014

The Bellingham Bulldogs hosted a
familiar opponent Saturday, April 25th at Lummi Nation
School field. The South King County Colts rode into town fresh off a
win over the Seattle Stallions the previous week. With a win in
Yakima over the Mavericks last weekend, Bellingham looked to continue
their streak and put their first-game loss far behind them. The
cloudy skies and cool breeze threatened to soak the gridiron but the
heavens held off their fury long enough for the battle to take place.

Bellingham started aggressively on
offense, moving the ball down field quickly. The Dogs scored two
touchdowns through the air, from the arm of quarterback Eric Taylor
in the first quarter. Finding his trio of wide receivers often,
Taylor connected with Douglas Miller and Cody Oakes. Toby Seim would
also snag a touchdown pass in the second quarter from Taylor.

Seeking to regain their intensity the
Bulldogs defense struggled to stop the potent Colts offense. Miscues
and mistakes allowed the Colts several opportunities to complete
drives, scoring once in the first quarter with a 55-yard pitch from
quarterback Adam Kruse to wide receiver Brandon Stout. The Colts
charged forward in the second, scoring twice more on the ground, they
narrowed the Dogs lead to one point before the half.

Memories of last year's comeback by the
Colts began to float to surface. In that game the Bulldogs' Cody
Oakes on the opposite sideline, commanding the Colts in a thrilling
fourth quarter rally. Down 37-16 the Colts clawed their way back into
the game. Oakes lead his Colts to two more touchdowns and brought the
game to a 37-30 score with 3 minutes left to play. The Bulldogs
defense would bend but would not break. The Colts drove deep into the
redzone but with one minute, thirty seconds remaining Bellingham
stopped the Colts drive short.

South King County needed a team effort
to ensure victory this night and Adam Kruse would need to step up to
the helm. Starting the second half flat, the Bulldogs frustration
began to affect their play on the field. The Dogs offense rallied,
Taylor directed a clock-eating drive late in the third that resulted
in a 4-yard touchdown scramble, making up for an earlier
interception. Bellingham's defense showed their toughness by keeping
the Colts from scoring the entire third quarter.

The Colts would not break. Gritting
their teeth, South King County pushed their way into the end zone at
the start of the fourth, cutting the lead down to two points.
However, on the next opportunity the Dogs' defense came up huge and
snatched the ball away from the Colts with a interception in the
redzone. Bellingham's offense made good on their fortune and
completed an 80-yard strike from Taylor to Seim on the next play from
scrimmage. The Dog's would add to their lead after another defensive
stop on a ground-shaking 27-yard touchdown run by Josh Heard. The
Colts would score on one last 21-yard dash by quarterback Adam Kruse.
However, the clock was not on South King County's side. Final score:
42-34. Click here to view photos from the game.

April 26, 2014

The Bellingham Slam open the 2014
International Basketball League season with a home win over the
Seattle Flight. Fresh faces on Bellingham's roster meant team
chemistry was a key concern for first-year, and former Slam player,
Tyler Amaya. He would get a chance to test the rookies as his veteran
lineup created a big lead early and did not let the Flight within 10-points
the entire game. Guard Jacob Stevenson lead all scorers with 23
points while six of his teammates contributed double digit points in
the effort. The Slam bench saw plenty of floor time along with their
newest addition, former Nippon Tornadoes guard Kosei Ban. Ban quickly
became a fan favorite in his debut, scoring eight points in his seven
minutes on the court. Final score: 142-93. Click here to view photos
from the game.

April 13, 2014

The Bellingham Bulldogs began the 2014
Pacific Football League season with a non-league match against the
Puyallup Nation Kings of the Western Washington Football Alliance
Saturday, April 12th at Lummi Nation School. Bellingham
started flat and sluggish. The offense had a difficult time
maintaining a consistent drive. The Kings in contrast came prepared
to win. Dictating tempo and moving the chains at will. The Bulldogs
quickly fell behind by two touchdowns with Puyallup creating
opportunities through a read-option style offensive attack.

Bulldogs quarterback Eric Taylor
orchestrated a long drive late in the first quarter to put Bellingham
on the score board. The Kings would answer the Bulldogs touchdown
with one of their own at the beginning of the second period. The
Bulldogs offense was just getting warmed up. Two more drives by
Bellingham resulted in a touchdown and field goal but a kick return
for a touchdown by Puyallup sent the Bulldogs into the half with a
large deficit to overcome.

The Kings opened up the half by playing
clock-ball. Relying heavily on their running game, Puyallup chewed up
time in the third quarter. Bellingham's defense forced a fumble
giving the offense a quick scoring opportunity. But another
clock-eating drive by Puyallup at the end of the third kept their
lead at arms length.

Eric Taylor tried to keep hope alive
for the Bulldogs with a scoring drive at the start of the fourth but
back-to-back touchdowns by the Kings killed any chance for Bellingham
to pullout a comeback. Final score: 36-47. Click here to view photos
from the game.